Long Named NFF National Scholar-Athlete

Nebraska senior offensive guard Spencer Long has been selected as one of 16 recipients of the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments.

The honor is one of the top awards a college football student-athlete can earn and the honorees also comprise the list of finalists for the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the country.

Each member of the 2013 National Scholar-Athlete Class will travel to New York City to be honored Dec. 10 during the 56h NFF Annual Awards Dinner. Each of the honorees receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and one member of the class will also be announced live at the event as the recipient of the 2013 Campbell Trophy. The winner of the Campbell Trophy will receive a $7,000 increase in postgraduate funds for a total scholarship of $25,000.

Long is the 22nd Husker football player to be honored as an NFF Scholar-Athlete, the most of any school in the country. This marks the second straight season Coach Bo Pelini’s team has had an NFF honoree, after Rex Burkhead was one of 15 honorees in 2012.

A graduate of Elkhorn High School, Long is a model student-athlete. He carries a 3.792 cumulative grade-point average in biological sciences/pre-medicine and he is on track to graduate in December. Long plans to pursue a career in medicine following graduation.

Long is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VII selection and a strong candidate for Academic All-America honors this season. He is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

On the field, Long has been a fixture on the Nebraska offensive line since 2011. He started 33 consecutive games at right guard before being injured at Purdue on Oct. 12. Originally a walk-on to the Husker program, Long was a second-team All-Big Ten choice as a sophomore in 2011. Last season, Long earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was a second-team All-America selection.

Long’s play over the past three seasons has helped Nebraska feature one of the nation’s top rushing offenses. The Huskers have produced three 1,000-yard rushers in the past two seasons, with I-back Ameer Abdullah on pace to reach that milestone this fall.

Long has also been active in the community during his time at Nebraska. He was selected as a member of the 2013 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team for his outreach work, which has included volunteering his time with local school and hospital visits, as well as the NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 event.

Long is one of four Big Ten players honored as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining Michigan State’s Max Bullough, Iowa’s James Morris and John Urschel of Penn State.